As is well known in the construction industry, builders of both residential and commercial building structures often face numerous difficulties during the construction process when utilizing forest products due to the lack of dimensional stability inherent with such products. In this respect, builders and craftsmen typically labor with the wood in an attempt to shape and fit the wooden components. However, oftentimes the wood members twist, warp, split or crack during and subsequent to completion of the building project, thus impairing the quality and appearance of the building structure.
In relation to consumer products, modern material fabrication and assembly techniques have permitted manufacturers to hold close tolerances and have allowed for the development of mass production methods which have made it possible for consumers to enjoy a wide variety of products at affordable prices. However, such mass production methods have not successfully found their way into the construction industry on any significant scale. In this respect, billions of dollars have been spent by the construction industry in an attempt to adopt mass production methods to produce housing at more affordable prices. However, such efforts have generally fallen short due to the previously described dimensional instability of the wooden components typically utilized in construction, as well as the requirement of utilizing skilled labor to build the structures.
In recent years, some advancements have been introduced to wood construction through the use of reconstituted wood-based products with enhanced strength and dimensional stability. Other advancements in construction techniques have included the gradual conversion to steel, aluminum, plastic and other more stable building materials. Additionally, a number of attempts have been made to develop building wall structures which integrate framing and wall panels to form a composite wall. Certain ones of these prior art wall structures comprise an assembly of wall panels or wall bricks having hollow passages which form a series of interlocking vertical and horizontal passages in the assembly. These passages are filled with concrete, with or without rebar, to form structural framing, integral with the wall panel or bricks. Other types of prior art structures comprise reinforced composite wall panels that are interlocked to form a wall structure. A third type of prior art structure comprises an assembly of foam plastic forms that function as permanent concrete forms after the concrete has been poured between the forms.
Though many of the aforementioned prior art building materials and systems present improvements over the more traditional prior art materials and building systems, these materials and building systems possess certain inherent deficiencies which detract from their overall utility. In particular, the aforementioned prior art wall structures, although reputed as being easy to assemble, often require substantial planning and piecemeal methods for forming windows and doors. Additionally, these prior art wall structures typically require a substantial amount of concrete which, though being widely available in some form, is not always of sufficient structural, load-bearing capability. Additionally, the aforementioned materials and building methods are often deficient with regard to critical factors such as cost, material availability, capital requirements for manufacturing and transportation, technical skills both in the factory and field, and ease of construction.
In recognition of the deficiencies of the prior art building materials and building systems, Applicant developed the improved building structure as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,560. In particular, Applicant developed integrated wall, floor and ceiling structures that employ no concrete and are fabricated from a minimum number of dimensionally stable, standardized framing elements and standard panels to form a resultant monolithic building structure. This building structure may be assembled with a minimum number of tools and does not require the employment of skilled labor, such as carpenters, bricklayers and concrete pourers.
Though the wall, floor and ceiling structures as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,560 present advantages over the prior art, such structures themselves possess certain deficiencies. Such deficiencies include the lack of auxiliary bracing in the wall structure for providing enhanced structural integrity thereto, and the difficulty in forming air plenums in the floor and ceiling structures which facilitate air flow in multiple directions. Other deficiencies include the cost associated with the fabrication of the standard panels, and the susceptibility of such panels to buckling in compression and tension when the wall structure is subjected to a shear force. One further deficiency is related to the time and difficulty associated in forming recesses within the standard panels to accommodate electrical components such as switch boxes. The present invention specifically addresses these and other deficiencies of the prior art building systems, as well as the building system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,560.